Hello, I'm in Delaware
by Blind.Flower
Summary: When he's sixteen, Sora is forced to move away from his home and friends to a place called Twilight Town. Three years later Riku has kept in touch and is insistent about seeing Sora again. What he doesn't expect is how much the younger boy has changed.SxR
1. Chapter 1

**I.**

The school wasn't too far from the shores of the mainland, and that was probably why most of the kids from Destiny Islands tended to attend Shallowcreek High once they came of proper highschooling age. It wasn't far and it was a good enough stepping stone towards the world of college and higher learning. It was pricy to attend the more prestigious prep school inside the main city anyway. The halls were a little dingy but the teachers cared just the right amount, even if the students tended to border on the edge of cruel and insufferable.

When Riku, Kairi, and Sora had first set foot in these halls, it had been with an innocent Islands education. Sora and Kairi had hung behind, nervous, unsure of their new surroundings, unaware of such things as labeling and stereotyping even as they themselves were filed and classified. In front of them, leading the charge was Riku, stomach trembling but showing no signs of anything but utter determination, poise and self-confidence, daring anyone to lay one hand on his protégées.

Now in their early grade eleven year, Riku was a legend, revered, respected, a someonetonotmesswith. It had never been accomplished on the mainland to come from the islands and actually _fit. _To actually find a clique or group that didn't smell of sun and sand and paopu fruit and have people _forget _for a moment how different you were. Riku did such things with ease. He scoffed and teased and smirked his way into a high profile spot on next year's student council, and because of that, cleared easy paths for both Kairi and Sora.

Kairi became a _Girl _with a capital G. Any girls coming from the islands were usually stereotyped as too butch for boyfriends based on the fact that a little sun and sand and beach wrestling wouldn't ruffle their feathers one bit. But Kairi had snuck into the mall shopping, sundress wearing, purse matching bag clique that oh so many cheerleaders ran with.

Sora on the other hand floated. He was a blitzball playing, school dance organizing, generally socializing techy geek. The only "group" that seemed home to him was Riku. By Riku's side he was comfortable. Out of his element and he was a fish out of water. For all his sweet and shy friendship making skills, everyone with a pulse knew that to Hurt Sora was to sign one's own death certificate. Sora knew this as well. As best friends, Riku took his role of the mighty protector very seriously. Kairi had a mean left hook for defense but Sora tended to freeze at any uncomfortable altercation, making him vulnerable, making Riku rabid to shield him from pain, hurt, despair and unpleasant small dogs.

This was what Sora was thinking about while he rolled four different coloured highlighters back and forth across his desk. Blue, Pink, Green and Orange.

_So there goes my life…_

Sixteen years of friendship. Riku to his left, folding a paper airplane out of his English notes, silver hair falling into his eyes, not to be swept away for all the concentration involved.

_Passing by with every exit sign…_

"Ri-ku…" A soft whisper, hissed from Sora as he stared ahead, pretending to take notes. Pretending to not doodle small Paopu stars and hearts in the margins of his note paper. The other boy's reaction was instantaneous shift of focus from paper to person.

"Yeah Sora?" Just as secretive aquamarine eyes slid to the right as Sora had known they would. The voice speaking just as soft, just as 007/mission impossible don't get caught or you're dead.

A jolt in Sora's stomach reminded him of- well, _something. _And he smiled to hide the sudden sensation of being immersed in cold, unforgiving water, toes first.

"I… I've got to talk to you at lunch about… something. It's important. So don't be late!" Voice strained to sound cheery, friend of forever narrowing eyes and clearly not buying forced enthusiasm. Riku nodded sagely and Sora had the thought –not for the first time- that in so many ways, Riku was decades older then he'd ever be.

Seeming satisfied, Sora nodded quickly and proceeded to bend his head over his binder, hand wrinkling a few unimportant notes as he picked up the blue highlighter, fleshing out stars and hearts with watery, transparent colour.

Only an hour and a half then until lunch.

It seemed, to Sora at least, like there wasn't enough time in the world between then and now.

_Sometimes I wonder how I will stay strong… _

Lunch was no school event. Sora found actually, that more people tended to leave at lunch then stay, leaving the cafeteria a desolate place. Kairi opted -as usual- to sit this lunch out with Sora and Riku and head off to some new vegetarian pita shop down the street with Selphie and her other friends. So it was just Sora, chewing the straw from his chocolate milk like it was marzipan straight from Germany instead of the gross, plastic unedible straw it actually was, and Riku.

"So Sora…" Riku, studying him again from across the table, paying little to no attention to the fries he'd bought for lunch and seemed to refuse to touch until Sora spilled his guts out on the Clorox sanitized cafeteria table. "What was it you wanted to talk about?"

Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, Sora peeked up at Riku, finding that yes once again those concerned eyes, bright as sea glass were looking at him with such intensity it was almost as if they were looking through him.

"I-" Sora choked then. Because all day, and all yesterday he'd been fine. Avoiding the issue was sort of like eliminating it, but now, he knew he had to let it out. His little secret from his mother to him. The secret that couldn't stay secret and threatened to tear it's way out of his throat, with Sora's consent or not.

Concern battled with fear in Riku's expression and he leaned in quickly, forcing something more intimate, more conspiratorial. "Sora? What's wrong?"

Fingers feeling clammy and eyes stinging, Sora pushed away the remains of his lunch and lifted his eyes to meet Riku's.

"I'm … my mom said that I'm moving. Soon. F-far away." Sora found that somewhere in his confession his eyes found the table top again and seemed glued there. After what seemed an eternity, he heard Riku suck a breath in across from him. Sharp. Hurt.

Nonono, Sora didn't want to hurt Riku. He _never _wanted to hurt him, he didn't mean t-

"How far?" The silver haired boy's speech was even, controlled and calculated.

"A... place called Twilight Town. About… six or seven hour's drive from here… she said." Sora heard Riku release that breath in a slow _whoosh._

_Oh… **that **far…_

Sora could almost see the hopes of weekend visits and sleepovers fall away as Riku slumped his shoulders forward. Seven hours. It was _too far… _

As if in a snap decision, Riku reached up, unclasping a necklace from around his throat from which dangled a charm the shape of a three pointed crown. One Sora had admired for ages. Ever since Riku's mother had bought it for him once when she went away on a trip. He leaned forward and with quick precision, slipped it around Sora's neck.

"Here…" Riku murmured. "Keep it… something from me. A… going away present."

The magnitude of the gift shocked Sora into a small silence which he broke himself a few moments later.

"I'll… write you…"

The sentiment sounded pathetic to even Sora's ears and he was struck by the irony of having to use such a phrase and mean it when he'd only ever heard it in malice. Mockery.

"Yeah." Riku's voice seemed hollow. Crushed.

"Don't forget… like all those stupid people in books… and movies. You better keep up because I will."

Miserably, Sora nodded.

"I will." He whispered. "I promise."

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

**II.**

_Roughly three years later…_

"Roxas. Get up."

"Mnh."

"You're late for class."

"Mnh?"

"English lit. Important class."

"Mm."

"Essential class."

"Mmmnh…"

"Class you must take in order to keep living in my apartment and eating my cereal class."

"Errgh..."

Sky blue eyes opened and the first thing that met their blinking, sleepy gaze was a ceiling, -institutional gray- followed by a familiar spike of red hair, stage right.

Sensation: Right hand on left thigh.

Hand: Not belonging to one Roxas.

Thigh: _Definitely_ belonging to one Roxas.

Conclusion: Axel's hand on Roxas' thigh makes for nice wake up calls.

Of course, life had not always been this way. When Roxas had first moved to Twilight Town he'd been the enemy of all, friend of few. Since then though, he'd managed to learn the art of making friends and avoiding fistfights. He owed such fitting in to Axel, who was currently nuzzling his bare stomach with a look that bordered mischievous and promised difficulty in attending the pre-mentioned class.

"Axeee-l…!" A soft whine as Roxas struggled with pillow and comforter alike to sit up straight, running a hand through short blonde hair and squinting at the red haired man sprawled across his lap with what he hoped was a stern reprimand for not allowing him to rise and take on Mr. Mc Creedy in English lit.

A soft nip at his hip told him it was not stern enough so he slid his fingers through the red hair fanned around his legs, finding himself unsurprisingly unannoyed upon realizing it was Tuesday morning, eight o'clock and his English class was Thursday morning nine. The pleased rumble in Axel's throat could be felt against Roxas' leg and he treasured the sensation, rewarding most kindly by skimming his fingers over the other man's temples and the nape of his neck.

In the year in which Roxas had lived with Axel and the ten months in which they'd been an item, Axel never seemed to tire of waking Roxas up in new ways. Sometimes they were pleasant, like today. Sometimes they were obscene, like yesterday, and sometimes they entailed Roxas running after the red head with nothing but boxers and a spatula in his possession, covered in corn syrup. Like last week.

It was unfortunate then, that just as fingers were teasing elastic bands of boxer shorts the phone rang, shrill like a police siren through the quiet apartment.

"Don't answer it… " the blonde groaned, flopping bonelessly back on the bed with a frustrated sigh. "It's probably your mom asking when to expect grandchildren or _worse. _It could be my mom asking if I've flunked out of collage yet."

A dark chuckle lit amused green eyes and Roxas did his best to scowl back, though he knew his expression slipped a bit into a crooked smile.

"I could… " Axel drawled, fond smirk still firmly in place. "Be _bribed _into letting the machine pick up. But oh, what oh what could occupy my itchy fingers from picking up that recei-"

Having had enough of Axel's long winded bouts of teasing, the slighter man shifted underneath him, drawing him into something much more interesting then phone conversations, lips on his an easy silencer.

It was _so easy_ to distract Axel and himself. They'd listen to the message later.

If they remembered.

Riku fed a quarter into the beat up pay phone, not bothering to read the obscene love messages scrawled into plastic with paper clips and safety pins. He actually had to hold back a grin as he punched in the number written on his hand and listened to the phone ring.

_It's far. It sounds far, just the way it's ringing sounds far away._

Knowing if anyone could hear his thoughts they'd think him demented, Riku forced himself to play it cool. After all, he was King of cool, Prince of poise, Duke of decorum, Viscount of-

Well hey. That really _did _get irritating really fast. He'd have to remind himself to do it to Kairi more often.

The phone was still ringing. Someone should be picking up. Oh, was it that no one was home…?

There was a click and quickly, a pre-recorded voice filled the silence on the other end.

"_Yo, it's Axel. Me and the Squirt aren't around so-"_

Riku could _just _make out an indignant squeak in the background and what sounded like a pillow hitting flesh.

"_Ow. Shit- alright. Just leave the info, we'll catch you later…"_

BEEP.

It had to be the right number.

"Hey… it's me, Riku." Riku started uneasily, shocked to find himself actually _nervous._ Odd, since he'd never been nervous before. Especially not when he was just calling an old friend to tell him some good news.

"I know we haven't talked in a while but… I've got a surprise. There's been a chance for additional study in that literature course I e-mailed you about… a chance to transfer to a college of your choice as long as they're affiliated and I jumped on it so… " Riku couldn't keep the smile off his face now. He really _was _ecstatic about it and it wouldn't take a fool to notice.

"Your school was on the list. I'm going to get to come up there… for a few months at least." With that, the silver-haired man paused, unsure of how to go about closing such a message, packed with such a vast amount of information.

"This is going to be great. I've really missed you, Sora."

Satisfied, Riku let the receiver drop back onto the cradle. In a few weeks, he'd get to see his best friend again. For the first time in three years. Though his roommate sounded a bit like a jerk, Riku was confident in one thing.

Sora would be the same old Sora. And things would be good.

_"I've really missed you, Sora."_

With a click and a whirr, the machine stopped the message playback and Axel stared at the receiver in confusion.

"Poor bastard. Got the wrong number. Sounded important." Shrugging his shoulders, he quickly pressed the number "7", effectively erasing the message.

_Wonder if Roxas knows anyone named Sora…_ He wondered as he replaced the receiver on the nightstand and wandered over to the closet to find a clean pair of pants. After their activities that morning, Roxas still lay passed out in bed, sheet thrown haphazardly over his hips in the semblance of decency, blonde hair tousled and cheeks and lips pink in sleep.

Not bothering to hide a smile, Axel pulled out some fresh boxers and pants, tugging them on quickly and wandering back over to the bed.

_He's so damn __**cute.**_The red haired man thought as he brushed his lips over his smaller partner's forehead, pleased with the small flushed mumble emitted at the slight contact.

Retreating to pull on a shirt, Axel scribbled a quick note, tacking it to the wooden headboard.

_Class. _

_Be back for dinner. _

_So cook something nice._

_Axel_

And as Axel left the apartment, locking the door behind him with books hooked under his arm, he never noticed Roxas, still in bed, reach up and unconsciously close his hand over the small charm of a necklace. One he never took off.

One in the shape of a three pointed crown.

"I'm going to miss you Riku." Kairi usually wasn't one to make a scene out of goodbyes, but seeing Riku standing at the bus stop, duffel bag strapped to his left shoulder brought on all sorts of nostalgic feelings. Like Riku and Sora and Kairi at the beach. Riku helping Kairi out in gym class once in grade nine. Riku talking animatedly about one literature related thing or another that quite frankly didn't interest her. Even worse, it sort of reminded her about how three years ago, Riku had been on the other side of this little goodbye, standing next to her, hand on her shoulder giving her the strength not to be upset. Not openly in front of Sora.

There was just one thing different actually, and that was Sora left and never came back. Riku _was _coming back.

She had fallen out of touch with the other boy about a year after he left, and Kairi knew that Riku had fared only slightly better with about one phone call a month these days from a payphone telling the silver-haired boy in the sketchiest details what was up.

"Don't worry Kairi, I'll call so much you'll wish I was farther away." Riku joked, shifting on his feet almost impatiently as he glanced behind him where an old Greyhound was just pulling up. He offered her a warm smile and Kairi smiled softly back, soothed for the moment.

She couldn't help but notice Riku was looking particularly handsome today, and irrationally a bit of pride swelled in her chest to have a friend like him. He was a perfect gentleman really, when he wasn't throwing one of his patented Riku-tantrums.

Not to get the wrong idea. Her and Riku had worked out so poorly as a romantic couple that they hadn't even tried. After Sora left, Riku became edgier, cockier, harsher all around for a few months. It got to a point where Kairi was the only one who could get within a few feet of him without being insulted. Thankfully, it had passed however and Riku had mellowed out a bit, but he'd still gotten a little edgy the first couple years when Sora was mentioned. As far as she knew, most of their communications still relied heavily on e-mails as opposed to more personal contacts such as phonecalls and god forbid, visits. But through all of it, Kairi was amazed to acknowledge Riku still swore up and down; Sora was one of his best friends, distance and lack of communication be damned. It was almost as if things had never changed for Riku where Sora was concerned, and Kairi couldn't help but be a little worried Riku may not understand what he was in for in going all this way to study and see Sora. She was afraid Riku would expect the other boy to be just the same as the day he left. Even Kairi knew that wasn't possible… and she hoped it wouldn't be painful for Riku to have to deal with that fact as well.

The growl of the greyhound brought her back to the present and out of her worried thoughts and she tucked a bit of reddish hair behind her ear as she offered another warm smile tinged with the awkwardness that tended to coincide with goodbyes.

"This is mine." Riku offered, gesturing towards the bus with a single nod of his head, fingers tightening on the strap of his duffel bag. He picked up the larger bag at his side which held his books and clothes and various implements for personal hygiene, and Kairi couldn't help but be amused at his almost childishly hidden anticipation.

"I'm sure I don't have to tell you;" Kairi mumbled, leaning up and wrapping her thin arms around his neck and pressing her cheek to his. "-to call, at least every week, preferably more. Your mom is going to come to _me _for info you know, I have to be well stocked." When she felt Riku nod, she pulled back, planting small fists on small hips and nodding as if satisfied. "Good. Get going. And stay out of trouble."

A crooked smirk met her warning. "Oh, come on Kairi, you know I'm _always _good." Riku replied, tucking his larger bag in an underneath storage compartment before swinging himself up into the bus and favouring her with one last wave before finding his seat.

And, as Kairi watched the bus pull away, she couldn't help but feel like Riku would not be the same when he returned.

Not the same at all.

In the three weeks following the mysterious message on the answering machine, Axel had to admit; he'd forgotten all about it. He'd forgotten all about it the second he pressed the erase button on the phone. How was he to know that message was to be a premonition to meeting the biggest asshole (Next to Sephiroth of _course_) he'd ever have the pleasure of coming into contact with? How was he to know it was a message informing him things were about to change? He wasn't supposed to know. But that didn't stop the uneasy feeling he'd had since this morning. As if he was getting an important package and had forgotten what it was supposed to contain.

Roxas was in class until six in the evening so he was supposed to cook for once, which really meant that he was going to order in, put it on real plates and dispose of the evidence by cleverly stuffing it into a neighbor's trashcan. He thought tonight was a good night for Swiss Chalet. As long as he didn't order that goofy dipping sauce, it was difficult to distinguish between it and homemade.

It was four o-clock right now, and since he wasn't actually labouring over a hot stove, he had time to generally loaf and be a bad boy. So loaf he did, in drawstring sweatpants and not much else, with a healthy dose of CSI (In marathon form) and a stack of finished homework on his desk.

He was just contemplating the physics behind balancing an ice cream dish between one's bare toes while juggling three other objects at once when the doorbell rang.

4:34 pm.

If it was Leon's fault he now had ice cream covered toes and lap, he'd definitely give him a piece of his mind. He was an irritating guy… showing up all the time out of the blue. Axel knew they were friends, but Leon had a penchant for showing up only when it was most embarrassing for Axel. He'd been caught by him in some of the most mortifying situations.

Grumbling, the redhead peeled himself off the couch, futilely trying to brush some of the creamy slop off of his pants, succeeding only in smearing it around; which warranted a sidetrip to the kitchen for a tea towel before the door.

"I'm coming." He grumbled when the doorbell chimed for a second time and it was with a scowl and a flourish he opened the door, towel pressed to the front of his pants, mood only worsened when the stranger there took one look and laughed.

He was a cocky looking brat, about his or Roxas' age he would guess, with shining silver hair that put him too much in mind of Sephiroth to really warm up to him right away and odd green eyes that Axel imagined worked better then any pickup line.

Impression: Jerk.

Clearing his throat, Axel leveled the boy with what he felt was a rather good glare, as glares went and was pleased when the chortling waned into silence.

"Yeah?" Axel took advantage of the silence and spoke. "Were you looking for something or are you just at the wrong address?"

Shifting on his feet, the brat seemed to be covertly peeking around Axel as if trying to see something in the apartment. Axel took great pride blocking his view.

"I was just given this address." The stranger said with a roll of his shoulders and a slight toss of his hair.

"I'm looking for Sora. He's a friend of mine and his mother said he lived here."

A small niggling impression masquerading as memory flitted fleetingly through Axel's mind. Too quickly to be tangible or even properly noticed. In face of the shoulder roll and pantene pro-V hair toss, the redhead was more apt to be irritated then wonder if he had some hidden vestige of knowledge as per the situation. He pulled a deeper scowl, still holding the tea towel over his lap, impressions be damned.

"You've gotta have the wrong address buddy. I only have one roommate and his name ain't Sora. So you'll have to check back with mother hen, because you've got your numbers screwed. Now go away." He started to push the door closed with his shoulder, quite irritated to discover that a sneakered foot was shoved quickly inside the door jamb, blocking his hasty retreat.

"Are you sure?" Jesus, could this guy sound anymore pretentious if he tried? As if he wouldn't fuckin' _know _who he lived with.

"Yes I'm sure." Axel ground out between gritted teeth, green eyes narrowed, toes creamy and cold. "Now fuck off." Using the heel of his foot he forced the offending foot out of his space and shut the door with a quick slam, twisting the deadbolt and reveling in the surprised and pissed off face the guy pulled just before he'd closed the door.

And as Axel hobbled towards the bathroom, trailing ice cream behind him no matter how hard he tried, he still didn't think too much of this minor encounter either.

Not that he could be blamed. Having a nearly frozen prick is usually on the high point of issues to be rectified for most people.

Riku glared at the door slammed in his face as if the mahogany was at fault for the asshole behind it. He thought he recognized the voice from the answering machine he'd left a message on. Which meant that phone number _and _address matched. So why didn't the resident?

Feeling a bit disappointed, the young man hauled his duffel bag high on his shoulder, scooping up his larger suitcase as well.

He might as well head to his dorm, unpack, and think about what to do next. Sora had to be around here somewhere, he still went to school on this campus after all.

He'd just have to find another way of tracking him down. It couldn't be too difficult, the campus was small, and with Sora's personality, he was sure he would at least run into someone who knew him within fifteen minutes. He shouldn't be worried; but maybe he would shoot Sora another e-mail once he got his computer set up. The other boy tended to respond more quickly to electronic communication for some reason, so Riku would use that to his advantage.

He'd find the other boy in no time.

Author's Note: I've taken chapters two and three and mushed them together. By themselves they were barely worthy of being called full chapters to begin with. I can't promise a consistent update schedule but I am still writing this story for those concerned. The ending point has morphed in a way I couldn't have anticipated and I'm excited to keep going on this. I like the idea of this story way too much to let it go unwritten. With Birth By Sleep on the horizon, I want to finish this story before it comes out and consumes me.

IN OTHER NEWS. If you are done playing FF13, do not spoil it for me. I am so close I can taste it. D8


End file.
